Updates from Mrs. Froning

December 16, 2018

Updates from Mrs. Froning

December 16, 2018

Generosity abounds!

Thank you to our school community for coming together to help less fortunate families in our community. Your participation in the PTA Adopt-a-Family event will help four local families identified as low-income or at risk through the WLCSD Head Start/GSRP program, enjoy the a brighter holiday season. In addition to supporting the PTA event, the Oakley Park staff adopted two additional families from in our school community.

Parent/Teacher Conferences & Report Cards

Thursday was a very busy day as our teachers welcomed families to Parent/Teacher Conferences. Thank you for taking the time to attend your child's conference and we hope you found both the conference and report card to be very informative in regards to learning about your child's progress this year. If you haven't yet reviewed your child's report card in Family Access, I urge you to do so as soon as possible.

Our staff also extends their gratitude for the amazing food! Thank you to all who donated items, our PTA and Ms. Kimberly Blaine.

Classroom Winter/Holiday Celebrations at Oakley Park

Thursday, December 20th

1st grade: Gingerbread Tea

Friday, December 21st (the 1st day of Winter!)

8:30 - 9:30 am

Kindergarten (all)

2nd grade (all)

3rd grade (all)

4th grade (Smith & Bernstein)

1:45 - 2:45 pm:

4th grade (Jeneary)

5th grade (all)

We are so thankful to the room parents who help plan classroom parties! Please note that all activities planned (including any food consumption) have been carefully coordinated between the room parent volunteers and classroom teaches. As we strive to maintain safe environment for all students, we continue to be VERY mindful of food allergy concerns when planning these activities.

As you think about planning for vacations/absences during the school year, we want to stress the importance of sending your child to school every day possible. Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after the winter holiday as families squeeze in a few more vacation days. We know that just a few missed days here and there, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time and put your child behind in school. This is as true in kindergarten as it is in high school. Put simply, too many absences at any age can affect a student’s chances for academic success.

We recognize that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away. The costs of plane tickets often influence when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school— and the message you will be sending about the importance of attendance. It is virtually impossible make up for the interaction and learning that happens in the classroom. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning, right up until vacation starts and the first day back.

2019-2020 WLCSD Calendar is now available!

Walled Lake Schools is happy to release the 2019-20 calendar to you prior to the winter break in hopes that you can plan for the many events, travel and activities in the busy life of your family. We will start the school year prior to Labor Day again in 2019-20. Also, you may notice the late start at the middle schools and early release at the high schools have been eliminated. There are several half-days throughout the school year. The afternoons on these dates will be used for staff professional development as part of ongoing school improvement efforts. As we have in the past, we will offer a reduced rate Prime Time Care service on each of these half days. We will seek feedback from you on the calendar in the spring parent survey.

20th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 2019

The Walled Lake Consolidated School District invites the community to the 20th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration on Monday, Jan. 21, 2018 at Walled Lake Northern High School. The evening's events will include a Multicultural Dinner from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and an exhibition of student artwork from 5 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. The program will begin at 6:15 p.m., and will also include performances by student choirs, presentations by several students, and recognition of this year’s Alec Bender Friend of Diversity Award recipients. This year’s theme is “Heroes in the Community: Women Making a Difference”. This year’s MLK Day Celebration is made possible thanks to generous donations from the PTA/PTSA groups from across our district, the Walled Lake Education Association, the Walled Lake School Administrators Association, the Walled Lake Schools Federal Credit Union, and the Meemic Insurance Company. This event is free and open to the entire community.

Updating Skyward Information

In an effort to make sure we have the most current and up-to-date information, we ask that all parents keep important information in Skyward updated. This is very important as we enter the winter season. When there are snow days and other school cancellations, we need to make sure we are in contact with all families.

Please call our office to have our secretaries update your information if needed. Parents are unable to do this on their own in Skyward.

Thank you for your help and support with this important matter.

A Special offer from Lifetouch...

Lifetouch has partnered with Shutterfly to bring a special offer to Oakley Park families. If you ordered your photos online, you can receive a free Shutterfly photo book! Please see the attached flyer for more information. If you have any questions, please contact Lifetouch at the number listed on the flyer. This offer expires on December 20, 2018.

Paraprofessional Positions

Walled Lake Schools has several para positions throughout the district that we are seeking to fill with qualified candidates. Please CLICK HERE for specific para job postings. Para positions are a great way to work part-time (or full-time) and support students in our district. Please consider applying (see link) and/or passing along this information to anyone who may be interested.

(Note: JobID: 31980 is a general para posting that includes full and part-time positions at various schools).